New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-08-21
BOULANGER-FERRY.
PERSONAL FEATURES OF THE GREAT DUEL
THAT DID NOT COME OFF.

ryroM THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT or THE TRIbcSh'
PARIS, Aug. D.
The Ferry-Bou lancer duel has been the one
topic of last week Will he or will he
not fight? were the questions in almost every
mouth The "hen was M. Ferry. Admitting Che
code of honor that statesman-if such nanie
can be applied 10 him-was bound to reaiiirm WHAT
he had said at the point Of the sword or the
muzzle OF the pistol, or apologize. But honor ana
w. Ferry have been lifelong strangers. Certainly
he has family virtues, like most men OF IeDre"
descent. He was good son. is good bro'her
and there never perhaps was more attentive
husband. He even. 10 please his relatively young
and very beautiful wife, is at the frequent trouble
Of dyeing his hairand those whiskcrs Of his which
caricaturists are so fond of taking hold Of because
they help TO acceDtuate his cafe walters physl-
ognomy lie is also kind TO children, and rs
Minister of Public Instruction thought goou
deal Of their interests, for there Is n fathcrV
side in his nature which matrimony has not
satisfied, his wife being childlcss But apart from
these traits and qualities NJ Ferry is just dis
honest and utterly tricky as II he were COM
pounded OF Fasin and the Artful Dodgcr. more
impudcnt liar probably never existed He has the
whercythal TO make him a capital member OF
small tribe and not a single thing save diligence
i'm business that renders n human being valuable
as the citizen OF great country.
The seconds NJ. Ferry chose were M. Antonin
Proust and VI. David kaynal, who saw in 1871 10
what extent Gambctta might be worked as
ladder for d smart INSCRIPTIONS scitscekcr, stuck
on to him. and got up since his death from being
clerk in a small way in railway depot at BOZ
deaux 10 be Minister OF Public Works. In tins
capacity he and NJ. Rouvicr carried the halfway
Companies Conventions BILL so ruinous for thc
country aud so lucrative for the companies ana
the lobbyists who took it in hand NJ frouSt
was once upon time poor sort OF writer on uic
"Tcmps" He was good deal OF the serious
fabulous sort OF dandy, so much the lady
that lac found it not worth his while 10 ect
married. and WAS when NJ. Gambetta first started
tie ~Republioue Franchise" given the task OF
writing leaders on foreign affairs As he was as
tineuishcd ut that time among the Gambettsts
as the only man who patronized an English tailor
working 70 order instead OF the store for ready
made suits. NJ Gambctta destined him for the MN
istry If Foreign Affairs. He Fine Arts Minister
under NJ Cambetia, and since the death OF that
statesman made roaring fortune by Launching
the Fine Arts Lottery for the creation OF
Museum OF Decorative Art and Industry, on Tic
South Kensngton basis. forget how many millions
OF dollars were hauled in. but l remember
famous row when it was asccrtaincd that the
!
The noise was so loud and the danger so great
of a scandalous trial that it was decided to de-
stroy ali the tickets Of this category and proceed
to another drawing. NJ. Proust has COLLECTION
q old bric-a-brac which amateurs think valuable
one He Is "a brocan tour, or old curiosity dealer
by nature.
From the above you Will see that The SECONDS
Iof NJ Ferry were rs much strangers TO
tbqir
second of General BouianGer is charming
fellow. General Count Favcrot dc kcrbrcck. lie
is about the age of General Bouangcr, with whom
he was at the military school of St Cyr and -
Of q good old Breton family. Although by no means
n carpet knight, good deal Of his military
service was discharged in palaces. he having been
succcssivclv aidc-lc-cnmp and orderly officer to
the late Emperor with whom lac went into cap
tiyity. 10 NJ Thicrs and 10 Marshal MacMalon
General Faverot dc kcrbrcck Is IN tie cavalry.
lie accompanied General Boulangcr To the United
States 70 represent France there on The occasion
OF the centenary Of American Independence. Ma
dame de KcrbrcclS is English. She belongs 10
branch of the old and il,ustrous Seymour family
which went into business. Her father made
great fortune which Will ali come 10 her, In
cbampacnc vineyards near Chal"ns sur Mafhe
and Oh the London Stock Exchange. OF which nc
was n member. She is pretty ladFhke h'ohu''
misnonnc. simple hammered and looking niue
in face and figure like what the Queen was "hch
she was quite young. Nine. kcrbrcck has dc-
lcious voice which is often lifted hearenwards III
tho o,gon loft Of the Rcdcmptoiists Chapel
in the Avenue IGoche. She married the "chefni
for love when he WAS captain, and has never
had reason 10 regret her choice, which, seeing she
was an idolzed hcress. shows that he must have
40 If
gentleman. but the freside virtues rs well
The other second, Comtc Dillon. Is OF lrish
oricin. / know him slightly and cannot say that
he is a person TO inspire much sympathy lie left
the army 10 go into company promoting, and was
a MANAGER of the Puycr Mertics Transatlantic
Cable. and is now in the same capacity IN inc
Mac<ay- Bennett able believe that he Is man
Of honor i'm the military and social sense, ana he
ought 10 be an authority on dueiiing.
General Boulangcr is brave physically ana
morally lie is very anablc, and also FRANK ana
endowed with moral courage. NJ. Ferry Is very
brazen and has the sort OF courage when SHOWS
itself in impudcncc. But in other respects nc Is
an arrant coward. / never saw more piteous
looking being than he was the day when, oeihg
,s Mayor of Paris bescigcd in the Mayoralty OF
the First ACCOMPLISHMENT, he got in from II by
a plank TO the tower OF the Church Of st. Ger
main de ! AuxcrrO!s and was let down Ill
basket into part Of the garden where there were
no COMMUNISTS and thence got away TO versailles
to give the news that the capital was altogether
in the hands of the National Guard. Again on
March 81, 1885, his attitude in the Chamber
was crestfalen and craven. lie had a couple OF
days before read fabricated dispatch from
Tonquin to hide disaster, and on the date /
mention was found out in bis lie and would have
been flung into the Seine by the indignant crowd
which awaited HIM outside had he not stolen
away by the garden Of the Foreign Office.
General Boulapger feels the absurdity of those
theatrical duels which fought In France.
His idea was that there was serious offence II